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Farmer Fertilizer Focus - Urea

By: Josh Linville, Vice President- Fertilizer

Urea
 
Josh Linville
Director - Fertilizer
What everyone wants to know first, what do we think will happen going forward
Nearby values appear supported in the near term.
  • Globally, the combination of a fresh India urea purchase tender announcement and a surge in Chinese domestic demand (less concern/fear of massive exports) have given urea markets a breath of air.
  • Domestically (U.S./N.A.),  nearby inventories continue to feel tight and sidedress demand is starting to step forward for their nearby needs.  The fact that corn prices continue to appreciate has sellers being more willing to hold out for higher prices.

However, summer values appear likely to drop in value (according to the paper market)...just not nearly as much as some would hope.

What has happened in the last 30 days?
India has announced a new urea purchase tender.
Many of you might wonder "why would India ever matter to me".  That is a solid question.  India secures their import needs in a very unique way.  Rather than going out and purchasing needed imports, the government requires that a "purchase tender" be held.  That means that India announces that they are looking to purchase urea, the market puts together their offers and then India purchases what is needed.  Part of the process is that they release the information to the general population in regards to tons offered, companies that offered, prices, etc.  It is an excellent spot view of the marketplace as a whole.  
  • If a huge amount of tons are offered, it could mean there is much more inventory around the world than previously anticipated.
  • If the lowest prices are significantly below expectations, it could mean that some in the market expect falling prices in the near term and are aggressive to clear their positions.
  • If prices are all at or higher than expected, it usually represents a healthy market that does not expect much price depreciation in the near term.

Like all the others, we expect that this tender will give us an intimate look at the markets perspective of the coming months.

Spring season continues to churn along in the U.S./N.A. territory

With grain prices continuing to rise near daily, retailers and farmers have been much less shy about securing their spring needs.  The focus has been much more toward maximizing yields rather than cost savings on the farm.  Amazing how much everything has changed since last August!

Concerns are rising of another repeat of 2008

For those of you who were not around in 2008, corn markets were on absolute fire on their way up.  The effect of that was urea values which reached $800 - $900/st at NOLA/Gulf of Mexico.  While the market is much more conservative than what it was back then (people were buying 2 - 3 seasons ahead at that time), there is a growing concern that we could see a similar outcome if corn continues higher.  This continues to support higher price ideas and is a very highly discussed topic.

Where are current values in relation to the past
We use NOLA/New Orleans, Louisiana as our point as it is the easiest spot to track on a daily/weekly/monthly basis.
  • Vs 30 days ago - (2.6%) or approximately $10 lower
  • Vs 90 days ago - +10% or approximately $33 higher
  • Vs 6 months ago - +68% or approximately $150 higher
  • Vs 1 year ago - +55% or approximately $130 higher
Bull/Bear Factors
Because no market is ever guaranteed to go higher/lower, we try to consider the factors that can sway values so that we are able to act when they occur rather than react.
Bullish Factors
  • The current India purchase tender could soak up a lot of excess inventories globally – everything always falls back to basic S&D.  If China is a minor player (more domestic demand to meet) and India secures a large amount of tons, it could clear up large amounts of excess inventories.  Well sold producers do not typically drop values.
  • Corn values are continuing to trend higher – corn values being higher or lower in itself should not move the urea market.  However, corn values moving higher will cause demand to come forward much earlier than normal.  That boost in demand WILL cause prices to appreciate.
  • Covid has caused a backlog of nitrogen production plant repairs – nitrogen plants operate under high temps and high pressures which cause a lot of wear and tear on the equipment.  This equipment needs to be maintained at "normal" timelines.  Covid has caused a significant backlog of plant turnarounds as it was very difficult to find the parts needs or the personnel needed.  If producers all take their maintenance at the same time, the number of available tons could be greatly reduced vs expectations.
Bearish Factors
  • Forward paper markets are indicating that values will depreciate – the current forward price curve is negative, with prices resetting during the Q3 period.  While everything is subject to change, that is a solid indication of the markets price expectation.
  • China can quickly flood the global marketplace– current global values are very attractive to Chinese producers.  Once their domestic demand starts to drop, they can very quickly pivot to a big exporter and given their production size as a whole, they can turn a tightly supplied world market into an oversupplied market in a short period.
  • High prices cure high prices (even for the corn market) – if we see corn values begin to come under pressure, demand is very likely to step back and see what happens.  If demand goes away, producers/suppliers could feel more pressure to make sales which typically means lower prices.
UREA IS HIGHER BUT SO IS GRAIN. WHAT IS THE “VALUE” TODAY VS PREVIOUS YEARS?

We believe that only looking at the flat price of either can be misleading

  • Only selling grain can hurt you if fertilizer prices rise substantially;
  • Only buying fertilizer can hurt you if grain prices fall.

We look at the ratio “value” to get a better indication of where we are or how many bushels of X does it take to pay for 1 ton of fertilizer

Would you rather:

  • Spend 100 bushels to pay for 1 ton of urea;
  • Spend 60 bushels to pay for 1 ton of urea.

When we compare the current ratio value against recent years, we start to see if we are high or low.

Pay more attention to the horizontal dotted line as it compares the current phosphate price against new crop values.

  • Very quickly, we start to see if we are high/level/low vs previous years.

YOUR VALUES WILL LOOK DIFFERENT

These graphs looks at the NOLA Urea price vs the flat grain price. There are no logistics on either product. Your location will look different due to fertilizer logistical costs, grain basis, etc.

image 12494
image 12495
image 12496
 
 
 
Josh Linville’s Thoughts
  • Current forward looking grain/urea ratios are on the higher side of recent years.  This DOES NOT mean that urea values have to come down significantly.  Sometimes, the market supports higher than normal values.  That is why we set highs as well as lows.
  • For those looking forward, there is a tremendous amount of time between today and next spring.  These markets could change multiple times up and down between now and then.  Take this into consideration if you are mulling locking in your next fall/spring fertilizer inputs.
 
 
  • Fertilizers

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